Second Century Commission Brings Together Prominent Canadian and U.S. Experts to Rebuild Bilateral Partnership

Eighteen commissioners will convene in Baltimore tomorrow to begin shaping the next century of Canada–U.S. relations

Baltimore, Maryland, Oct. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As a changing world order reshapes Canada–U.S. relations, the Second Century Commission today announced the 18 commissioners who will develop a long-term agenda for bilateral cooperation. Their inaugural meeting will take place in Baltimore on October 20–21, 2026. The second meeting will be held in Montreal next spring.

Building on a century of diplomatic relations and trust built over generations, the Second Century Commission will develop practical recommendations to strengthen Canada–U.S. cooperation over the coming decades. Its work will provide policy makers with a long-term roadmap for advancing shared prosperity and security while supporting the connections among people, businesses and communities that sustain the partnership.

Co-chaired by former Canadian cabinet minister Lisa Raitt and former U.S. congresswoman Jane Harman, the Commission is led by McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

“The future of Canada–U.S. relations will look different from the past. Our task is to develop a partnership that reflects the world we now face and the evolving priorities of people in both countries,” says Lisa Raitt. “That requires new thinking, an honest understanding of where our interests align and differ, and a vision that policy makers can implement and younger Canadians and Americans can make their own.”

The Commission will examine challenges that neither country can manage effectively alone, including secure supply chains, critical minerals, climate change, the energy transition, pressures on democratic institutions, artificial intelligence and digital governance, and defense.

Its commissioners bring experience in elected office, public policy, business and the nonprofit sector. They represent a range of political perspectives, regions and areas of expertise, united by a commitment to the relationship’s future.

The commissioners are:

• Jane Harman, co-chair, former U.S. representative.
• Lisa Raitt, co-chair, former member of Parliament and cabinet minister.
• André Beaulieu, CEO, Azrieli Foundation.
• Sinead Bovell, strategic foresight advisor.
• Steve Carlisle, former president, General Motors North America.
• Ron Daniels, president, Johns Hopkins University.
• JP Gladu, former president and CEO, Canadian Council for Indigenous Business.
• Jennifer Granholm, former U.S. secretary of energy.
• Scotty Greenwood, former CEO, Canadian American Business Council.
• Christine Gregoire, former governor of Washington State.
• Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. secretary of commerce.
• Ken Hartwick, corporate director, Investment Management Corporation of Ontario.
• Melissa Hathaway, former senior U.S. cybersecurity official.
• Candace Laing, president and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
• John Manley, former deputy prime minister of Canada.
• Rachel Notley, former premier of Alberta.
• Vincent Rigby, former national security and intelligence advisor to the prime minister of Canada.
• Glen D. VanHerck, former commander, NORAD and USNORTHCOM.

“Our commissioners will not agree on every issue. Durable solutions require people with different perspectives to sit at the same table and work through those differences,” says Jane Harman. “We are focused on recommendations for the next century of this relationship, beyond the next political cycle.”

Launched earlier this year as Canada and the United States mark 100 years of formal diplomatic relations, the Commission will hold additional meetings in Montreal, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. over the next year. Commission deliberations will be informed by external technical experts, commissioned policy papers, an advisory body of former ambassadors and a youth assembly. A final report is planned for late 2027.

A century of diplomacy and collaboration has helped keep North America secure and generate shared prosperity. That partnership also rests on ties among friends, families, trading partners and teammates. The Commission’s recommendations will address how students, workers, entrepreneurs, cities and communities can renew the connections that sustain pragmatic partnership.

Canada and the United States remain neighbors in a rapidly changing world. The Commission will develop an ambitious, pragmatic roadmap for rebuilding their relationship and working together where shared interests offer a foundation for lasting cooperation.

About the Second Century Commission I
The Second Century Commission will help shape the future strategic partnership between the two North American neighbors. Supported by the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University, the Center for U.S.–Canada Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), the Commission is being struck on the 100th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1926. For more information, please visit: Second Century Commission on Canada–US Relations    

Communications Team
Centre for International Governance Innovation
226-988-2951
communications@cigionline.org